Opening vehicle roof

ABSTRACT

Vehicle roof with at least one cover, which, by means of a lifting and closing mechanism, selectively closes a roof opening, or at least partly opens the same by lifting the rear edge of the cover, or by displacement along a guide rail, and a locking element ( 28 ) which locks the cover or a component connected thereto (cover support  6 ) relative to the guide rail ( 14 ) in the closed position, or in the lifted position. The locking element ( 28 ) is thus arranged on a locking lever ( 24 ), arranged on the cover or a component connected thereto so as to pivot essentially in a vertical plane. The locking element ( 28 ) is taken out of engagement with a locking recess ( 14   f ) on the guide rail ( 14 ), by means of a carrier device, at the end of a dropping movement of the cover, preceding the displacement of the cover into an open position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The invention relates to an openable motor vehicle roof with atleast one cover which is supported to be able to slide in the xdirection in the area of its front edge in a guide rail and to be ableto pivot around a pivot axis which is oriented in the y-direction, araising and sliding mechanism being provided by which the at least onecover is selectively either closes a roof opening (closed position) orat least partially clears the opening by raising of the cover at itsrear edge (ventilation position) or by sliding the cover along a guiderail (open position), and with a locking element which locks the coveror a component connected to it to the guide rail in the closed positionand in ventilation position.

[0003] 2. Description of Related Art

[0004] The raising and sliding mechanism for a roof cover generallycomprises a drive carriage which can be moved along a guide rail locatedalong each side edge of the roof opening, which carriage is coupled viaa link-like arrangement to a lever-like cover carrier locatedpermanently in a forward area of the cover or one made integrally withit. The cover carrier is supported to be able to slide and swivel in theguide rail via a sliding block located on its front end. As long as thecover is not moved to the rear into the open position, it is locked inthe X-direction (according to the coordinate system in FIG. 1) via alocking element. In this state, the drive carriage moves relative to thecover carrier and displaces it (and thus, the cover) between theventilation position, via the closed position, into, for example, alowered position below the roof plane as a stage preliminary to slidingof the cover into the open position. The locking element is then movedinto the unlocked position, and the drive carriage is coupled to thecover carrier so that it, and thus the cover, are entrained to the rearinto the open position as the drive carriage continues to move.

[0005] Published German Patent Application DE 34 44 522 A1 correspondsto U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,169 discloses a motor vehicle roof in which thereis a catch hook which is preloaded elastically in the engagementposition to the guide rail on the front sliding block of a sliding andlifting roof mechanism which is disengaged from the cover or a partconnected to it when the cover is lowered before sliding under the fixedmotor vehicle roof. With such a catch hook, complex adjustment relativeto the cover or the part connected to it is necessary to ensure properoperation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] A primary object of the invention is to devise an openable motorvehicle roof in which simple, reliable and low-wear locking andunlocking of the raising and sliding mechanism is enabled.

[0007] This object is achieved by a motor vehicle roof in which thelocking element is located on a locking lever which is locatedessentially in a vertical plane (x-z plane) so as to be able to pivot onthe cover, or on the component which is connected to the cover, andwhere the locking element can be controlled by the raising and slidingmechanism such that, during the sliding motion of the cover, it is ableto slide along the guide rail, and during the pivoting motion of thecover, it is locked relative to the guide rail

[0008] Simple, reliable, and moreover, low-wear locking and unlocking ofthe raising and sliding mechanism are achieved by the arrangement of thelocking element on the locking lever which is able to pivot on thecover, or on a component connected to the cover, and by the possibilityof locking the locking element relative to the guide rail.

[0009] Providing a locking lever for holding the locking element alsoenables other advantageous embodiments and functions of the motorvehicle roof. One problem which occurs in motor vehicle roofs of thegeneric type is that, when the cover is raised, its front edge executesa pivoting motion around the pivot point of the cover carrier whichgenerally lies behind and under this front edge; this results in thefront edge of the cover moving downward and forward. In this way, theseal which is located on the front edge of the cover is compressedrelatively strongly so that it must have a correspondingly large-volumecross section which allows the compression; this leads to acorrespondingly wide gap between the front edge of the cover and thefront edge of the roof opening. Since the seal generally has across-sectional shape which remains the same over the entire peripheryof the cover, the gaps are also comparatively large on the sides and onthe rear edge of the cover.

[0010] To solve this problem, according to another aspect of theinvention, it is provided that the locking lever is located on the covercarrier at a coupling point which is spaced away from the front bearingpoint of the cover carrier, for example, shifted to the rear. In thisway, when the cover is raised into its ventilation position, thecoupling point of the locking lever is moved such that the front bearingpoint of the cover carrier, the coupling point of the locking lever andthe locking element which is locked in the guide rail form a triangle.By raising the coupling point when the cover is raised, the base sideformed by the front bearing point of the cover carrier and the lockingelement is shortened; since the locking element is fixed, the frontbearing point of the cover carrier is pulled back, and thus, the seal onthe front edge of the cover lifts off the front edge of the roofopening. This measure makes it possible to use a seal with acomparatively small volume in cross section.

[0011] According to another aspect of the invention, it is provided thatthe locking element is guided by a driver means (link pin, link groove)located on the locking lever towards the end of the sliding motion ofthe cover out of its open position in the direction of its closedposition engaged to a catch recess of the guide rail. This constructionis especially simple and reliable.

[0012] The locking lever in one preferred embodiment of the invention islocated directly on the above described, lever-like cover carrier whichis permanently connected to the cover so that a separate holding bracketor the like is not necessary for the locking lever.

[0013] For adjustment of the locking element between its locked and itunlocked position, for example, any construction is suitable by whichthe locking lever is moved toward the end of the pivoting motion of thecover out of its ventilation position into the closed position or intothe sliding position, such that the locking element is guided out of theassigned catch recess, and thus, is released to the rear for movementalong the guide rail. Here, it is fundamentally possible for the covercarrier which is joining in the pivoting motion of the cover, or thedrive carriage which is moved to the rear in this pivoting motion, tofit into the driver means and to move the locking lever.

[0014] A structurally simple and reliable embodiment provides for thedriver means to comprise a first link element which is located on thefree end of the locking lever and which interacts with a second linkelement which is located on the drive carriage. The first link elementcan be for example a link pin which is essentially parallel to the pivotaxis of the locking lever and which interacts with a link groove whichforms the second link element and which is provided on the drivecarriage. The arrangement formed by the link pin and the link groove ismade such that the locking element is routed out of the catch recessbefore sliding motion of the cover into the open position, but towardsthe end of the sliding motion into the closed position it is insertedagain into the catch recess.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the invention, the locking elementis a catch which projects laterally from the locking lever and whichfits during the sliding motion of the cover into the guide groove of theguide rail, the catch recess being formed by a widening which is made inthe guide edge of the guide groove, and into which the catch can fitwhen the cover is being moved between the closed position and theventilation position.

[0016] In one embodiment of the invention, the catch recess is made onthe upper guide edge of the guide groove so that the locking lever mustbe swung up for insertion of the locking element into the catch recessand down for guiding it out; the link groove which forms the second linkelement is then formed by a groove which is open towards the rear of thedrive carriage with a first section which extends essentially forward,and a second, following section which extends essentially forward/down.

[0017] In order to support insertion of the locking element into thecatch recess, the catch recess has a profile on its front edge which ismatched to the motion of the locking element when the latter enters thecatch recess.

[0018] In order to hold the locking lever in its locked position duringthe traveling motion of the drive carriage out of the position whichcorresponds to the closed position of the cover into the position whichcorresponds to the ventilation position, the drive carriage has asupport bracket which supports the locking lever from underneath, thelocking lever on its lower edge being profiled such that, during thisentire path of the drive carriage, the locking lever is pressed up intoits locking position.

[0019] The link arrangement which couples the cover carrier to the drivecarriage in one preferred embodiment comprises at least one link bridgewhich projects on a side surface of the cover carrier and a grip sectionwhich extends around the link bridge and which is made on the drivecarriage. Especially stable and tilt-free engagement of this linkarrangement is obtained when the cover carrier has a cross-sectionalprofile that is essentially in the form of an inverted T with two sidelink bridges which are flush with the lower edge of the cover carrier,the grip section of the drive carriage having an essentially T-shapedgroove which is complementary to the cross-sectional shape of the covercarrier. This embodiment enables an especially low configuration of thecover carrier since the lower edges of the link bridges which form theactual link path at the same time form the lower edge of the covercarrier; in link slots which must be surrounded by a material withsufficient thickness this is not possible.

[0020] According to another embodiment of the invention, the drivecarriage can be coupled to a drive cable, on the drive carriage-side endof the drive cable, there being a catch which projects transversely tothe lengthwise axis of the cable and which can be inserted into a pocketwhich has been formed on a side of the drive carriage. In this way, thedrive cable which runs in its own channel of the guide rail and theguide carriage move laterally against one another so that equalizationof the tolerance with lateral guidance inaccuracies of the drivecarriage is possible.

[0021] Several embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawingsand are explained in detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022]FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective top view of the motor vehicleroof;

[0023]FIG. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view of the lifting andsliding mechanism for a cover in the direction of the arrows of thesection line II-II of FIG. 1;

[0024]FIG. 3 is a partially exploded perspective view of the raising andsliding mechanism of FIG. 2 in a view roughly from the opposite side;

[0025]FIG. 4 is a partially exploded perspective view a drive carriagefor actuating the lifting and sliding mechanism of FIGS. 2 and 3;

[0026]FIGS. 5a, 5 b & 5 c are side views of the lifting and slidingmechanism as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 in different adjustment phases; and

[0027]FIGS. 6a & 6 b are side views of another embodiment of a raisingand sliding mechanism in two different positions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] The motor vehicle roof 1 which is shown in FIG. 1 has a cover 2by means of which a roof opening 3 can be selectively closed or at leastpartially cleared. The cover 2 is preferably made as a transparent panewhich is surrounded by the cover frame 4, which is preferably made ofplastic, and a peripheral cover seal 5 which is attached to the coverframe 4. The cover 2 can be raised in the conventional manner, around araising axis which lies in the area of its front edge (ventilationposition) or can be lowered to under the motor vehicle roof 1 (slidingposition) and can be pushed to the rear (open position), which istherefore not shown.

[0029] To carry out the raising and sliding motion, generally, on eitherside of the cover 2, there is a respective raising and slidingmechanism, of which the raising and sliding mechanism which is assignedto the right side of the cover 2, for example, is shown and is describedbelow.

[0030] As FIGS. 2 & 3 show, the raising and sliding mechanism comprisesessentially a lever-like cover carrier 6 which is attached to the bottomof the cover 3 (not shown in these figures) via holes 7 and fastenerswhich fit into them. The cover carrier can be moved via a sliding block8 which is located on its front end in assigned guide grooves 14 a, 14 bof a guide rail 14 (only segments of which are shown in these figures)in the direction of the double arrow 10 (in the x direction according tothe coordinate system in FIG. 1) and is supported to be able to pivot inthe directions of the double arrow 12. In the example of FIGS. 2 & 3,the sliding blocks 8 are made crowned so that, in a lengthwise guidewhich is free of play with respect to the z direction (see thecoordinate system in FIG. 1), the blocks also allow a pivoting motionaccording to a certain pivot angle.

[0031] The cover carrier 6 is coupled via a link arrangement to a drivecarriage 16 which can be moved along the guide grooves 14c, 4d. For thispurpose, the cover carrier 6 has laterally projecting link bridges 18a,18b along its lower edge which fit into a grip section 20 on the upperarea of the drive carriage 16. The grip section 20 has an inside shapewhich is essentially complementary to the cross section of the covercarrier 6 in the area of the link bridges so that the cover carrier 6 isguided by the drive carriage 16 without play. To do this, the gripsection 20— as shown in detail in FIG. 4— has two guide bridges 20 a, 20b which extend over the respective link bridges 18 a, 18 b and a supportbracket 20 c which supports the cover carrier 6 from underneath.

[0032] The link bridges 18 a, 18 b, in a conventional manner, run suchthat, when the drive carriage 16 is moved in the direction of the doublearrow 22, the cover carrier 6 is moved out of the position which isshown in FIGS. 2 & 3 and which corresponds to the ventilation positionof the cover, via a position which corresponds to the closed position,into the lowered position which corresponds to the sliding position andback, as is explained in further detail below.

[0033] On the cover carrier 6, a locking lever 24 is pivotally supportedat a coupling point 26 which lies behind the sliding blocks 8 in thevertical plane (x-z plane). The locking lever 24, on its side surfacefacing away from the cover carrier 6, bears a locking element 28. Thelocking element 28 is formed by a catch which projects laterally fromthe locking lever and which fits into its own guide groove 14 e of theguide rail 14 and can be moved in it. The guide groove 14 e upwardlywidens on its front end to a catch recess 14 f, into which the lockingelement 28 can fit, for locking the locking lever 24 and the covercarrier 6 connected to it against displacement along the guide rail 14.

[0034] In order to pivot the locking lever 24, and thus, to insert thelocking element 28 into the catch recess 14 f, or guide it out of it,there is a driver means on the locking lever 24 which interacts with thedrive carriage 16. The driver means comprises a link pin 30 which islocated on the free end of the locking lever 24, which is essentiallyparallel to the swivelling axis of the locking lever 24, and whichinteracts with a link groove 32 which is made on the end of the drivecarriage 16 facing the link pin 30 in order to swivel the locking lever24 in the direction of the double arrow 34 (FIG. 2), as is describedmore fully below.

[0035] As is further apparent from FIGS. 2 & 3, the locking lever 24 issupported from below by a support bracket 36 on the drive carriage 16;the contour 38 on the bottom of the locking lever 24 is made such thatthe locking lever 24, during the entire path of motion of the drivecarriage 16 relative to the locking lever 24 with consideration of thevertically moving coupling point 26, is pressed up into a position inwhich the locking element 28 has been swung up into the catch recess14f.

[0036] The driving of the drive carriage 16 along the guide rail 14takes place in a conventional manner by means of a tension andcompression resistant cable 40 (see FIG. 4) which is connected to asuitable drive (not shown), for example, to an electric motor. Thedriver fitting 42 is attached to the end of the cable 40 assigned to thedrive carriage 16 and has a laterally projecting catch 44 which isinserted in the y direction into a pocket 46 of the drive carriage 16.This connection allows movement of the driver fitting 42 relative to thedrive carriage 16 in the lateral direction (in the y direction accordingto the coordinate system in FIG. 1) so that tolerance inaccuracies canbe equalized in the lateral guidance of the drive carriage 16.

[0037]FIG. 5 shows the raising and sliding mechanism of FIGS. 2 to 4 indifferent phases of motion.

[0038]FIG. 5a corresponds roughly to the position which is shown inFIGS. 2 & 3 and which corresponds to the ventilation position of thecover 2. The drive carriage 16 is moved completely forward, and thus,has raised the cover carrier 6 up by means of the link arrangementformed by the grip section 20 and the link bridges 18, i.e., it haspivoted around the pivot point which has been formed by the slidingblocks 8. The locking lever 24 is pressed up by its contour 38 ininteraction with the support bracket 36 formed on the drive carriage 16so that the locking element 28 is pressed into the catch recess 14 fwhich branches upward from the guide groove 14 d. In this way, thearrangement formed of the cover carrier 6 and the locking lever 24, andthus the cover 2, are locked in the lengthwise direction (x direction).

[0039] In FIG. 5b, the drive carriage 16 has moved to the rear, by theinteraction of the grip section 20 of the drive carriage 16 with thelink bridges 18, the cover carrier 6 having been swung down into theposition which closes the roof opening 3.

[0040] As the drive carriage 16 continues to move to the rear, the covercarrier 6 continues to pivot downward by the interaction of the gripsection 20 with the link bridges 18 such that the cover 2, which isconnected to the cover carrier 6, travels into the position which islowered to below the roof plane. At the same time, the link pin which islocated at the end of the locking lever 24 enters the link groove 32 onthe drive carriage 16, as is shown in FIG. 5c. As the drive carriage 16continues to slide to the rear (not shown), the link pin 30 is deflectedfurther down in the link groove 32, by which the locking element 28 isguided out of the catch recess 14 f and is guided into the assignedguide groove 14 d. Therefore, as the drive carriage 16 continues to moveto the rear the arrangement formed of the cover carrier 6 and thelocking lever 24 can be entrained by the drive carriage via the link pin30 and the link groove 32 so that the cover 2 travels into the openposition.

[0041] When the drive carriage 16 is again moved forward, it firstentrains the locking lever 24, and thus the cover carrier 6, via thelink pin 30 and the link groove 32 so that it moves forward until thelocking element 28 is opposite the catch recess 14 f. Because the linkgroove 32 runs obliquely, the link pin 30 is continuously pressed upwardso that the locking element 28 then enters the catch recess 14 f. Thus,the arrangement of the cover carrier 6 and the locking element 24 arelocked in the lengthwise direction relative to the guide rail. As thedrive carriage 16 continues to move forward, conversely to the abovedescribed process, first the cover carrier 6 is moved up into the closedposition shown in FIG. 5b and afterwards into the ventilation positionwhich is shown in FIG. 5a. In this last phase of motion, at the sametime, the front sliding block 8 of the cover carrier 6 is moved to therear by a certain small amount (cover return) so that the seal locatedon the front edge of the cover 2 is raised against the front edge of theroof opening 3, as was described above.

[0042] This effect of cover return is explained using FIG. 6 which showsa similar arrangement to FIG. 5, with a cover carrier 6′, a lockinglever 24′ and a schematically shown drive carriage 16′. FIG. 8a showsthe raising and sliding mechanism in a position which corresponds toFIG. 5b, i.e., the cover carrier 6′ is located in the position whichcorresponds to the closed position of the cover 2. The locking element28′ is located in the locked position.

[0043] The point A which has been formed by the front sliding block 8′of the cover carrier 6′, the point B formed by the locking element 28′and the point C formed by the coupling point 26′ form a flat trianglewith sides AC and BC which are constant, while the side AB is variable.When the drive carriage 16′ is moved forward, in order to raise thecover 2, the point C is raised, the side AB having to be shortened.Since the point B is a fixed point relative to the fixed motor vehicleroof 1 and relative to the guide rail 14, the point A is moved to therear by the amount x. This is the amount of the desired cover return.This amount x can be varied by a suitable choice of the coupling point26′ on the cover carrier 6′.

[0044]FIG. 6 shows, moreover, a configuration of the raising and slidingmechanism which has been modified relative to FIGS. 2 to 5. The linkarrangement which couples the cover carrier 6′ to the drive carriage 16′is formed, in this case, by a link slot 18′ which is made in the covercarrier 6′ and into which a link pin 20′ which is located on the drivecarriage 16′ fits. The function of this link arrangement otherwisecorresponds to the function of the link bridge 18 and of the gripsection 20 which was described relative to FIGS. 2 to 5.

[0045] The driver means for moving the locking lever 24′ is formedessentially of a cam 32′ on the drive carriage 16′, which supports thelocking lever 24 from underneath, and which fixes it in a position whichis swung up and in which the locking element 28′ is located in theassigned catch recess. When the drive carriage 16′ reaches the positionin which the locking element is to be guided out of the catch recess,the cam 32′, with its cam surface 50 which is made on its back, runsagainst a cam surface 52 which is made on the back end of the lockinglever 24 and guides the cam 32′ into a recess 30, by which the lockingelement 24 is swung down and the locking element 28′ is guided out ofthe assigned catch recess.

[0046] In order to achieve “plunging-through motion” of the cover whenit is being moved out of the ventilation position into the closedposition, the rear edge of the cover first being lowered to under theroof plane and then moved into the closed position from underneath, thelink bridge can have a corresponding section called a saddle (notshown). The same effect can be achieved via electrical triggering by thecover being moved beyond the closed position somewhat into the loweredposition before the sliding position and back again. This results in theseal being deflected down on the back edge of the cover in the closedposition; this improves the sealing action.

What is claimed is: 1-13. (Canceled)
 14. Openable motor vehicle roof,comprising: a fixed roof surface with a roof opening therein, a guiderail, a raising and sliding mechanism, at least one cover which issupported to slide in a guide rail in an x direction in an area of itsfront edge and to pivot around a pivot axis which is oriented in ay-direction, said at least one cover being selectively movable by saidraising and sliding mechanism into a closed position in which the atleast one cover closes the roof opening, a ventilation position in whicha rear edge of the at least one cover is raised, and an open position inwhich the at least one cover is slid along the guide rail to at leastpartially clears the roof opening, a locking element which locks the atleast one cover or a component connected to the at least one coverrelative to the guide rail in the closed position and the ventilationposition, wherein the locking element is located on a locking leverwhich is located essentially in a vertical plane to pivot on the coveror the component which is connected to the cover, and wherein thelocking element is controllable by the raising and sliding mechanismsuch that it is released to enable the at least one cover is able toslide along the guide rail to and from the closed position and the openposition and is engaged during motion of the at least one cover from theclosed position to and from the ventilation position.
 15. Motor vehicleroof as claimed in claim 14, wherein the locking lever is located at acoupling point that is spaced away from a front bearing point of thecover such that a distance between the front bearing point of the coverand the locking element is shortened when the locking element is lockedand the cover is pivoted.
 16. Motor vehicle roof as claimed in claim 14,wherein a driver means is located on the locking lever for causingengagement of the locking element in a catch recess of the guide railtowards the end of sliding motion of the cover from the open positiontoward the closed position.
 17. Motor vehicle roof as claimed in claim16, wherein the locking lever is located on a cover carrier which ispermanently connected to the cover, a front end of the cover carrierbeing supported to slide and pivot in the guide rail, and wherein thelocking lever is coupled via a link arrangement to a drive carriageraising and sliding mechanism which is movable along the guide rail. 18.Motor vehicle roof as claimed in claim 16, wherein the driver meanscomprises a first link element which is located on the free end of thelocking lever and which interacts with a second link element which islocated on the drive carriage.
 19. Motor vehicle roof as claimed inclaim 18, wherein the first link element is a link pin which isessentially parallel to the pivot axis of the locking lever and whereinthe second link element is formed by a link groove on the drivecarriage.
 20. Motor vehicle roof as claimed in claim 19, wherein thelocking element is a catch which projects laterally from the lockinglever and which fits into a guide groove of the guide rail, and whereinthe catch recess is formed by a widening which is made in a guide edgeof the guide groove.
 21. Motor vehicle roof as claimed in claim 20,wherein the guide edge is an upper guide edge of the guide groove, andwherein the link groove is a groove which is open towards the rear ofthe drive carriage and has a first section which extends essentiallyforward, and a second, following section which extends essentiallyforward and downward.
 22. Motor vehicle roof as claimed in claim 20,wherein the catch recess has a profile on its front edge which ismatched to the motion of the locking element when the locking elemententers and emerges from the catch recess.
 23. Motor vehicle roof asclaimed in claim 20, wherein the drive carriage has a support bracketwhich supports the locking lever from underneath, and wherein thelocking lever is profiled with a contour on its lower edge such that,during the entire path of the drive carriage from a front position whichcorresponds to the ventilation position of the cover into a positionwhich corresponds to emergence of the catch element out of the catchrecess, the locking element is pressed up into its locking position. 24.Motor vehicle roof as claimed in claim 17, wherein the link arrangementwhich couples the cover carrier to the drive carriage comprises at leastone link bridge which projects on a side surface of the cover carrierand a grip section which extends around the link bridge and which isprovided on the drive carriage.
 25. Motor vehicle roof as claimed inclaim 24, wherein the cover carrier has essentially a cross-sectionalprofile in the form of an inverted T with two side link bridges whichare flush with the lower edge of the cover carrier, and wherein the gripsection of the drive carriage has essentially the shape of a T-groovewhich is complementary to the cross sectional shape of the covercarrier.
 26. Motor vehicle roof as claimed in claim 17, furthercomprising a tension and compression cable, wherein the drive carriageis coupled to the tension and compression cable, a drive carriage-sideend of the tension and compression cable being provided with a catchthat projects transversely relative to a longitudinal axis of the cableand which is insertable into a pocket formed on one side of the drivecarriage.